Whitworth Pleads Guilty in 2019 Shooting Death of Poplar Springs Man

A Franklin County man, charged in the April 2019 shooting death of Michael John Ehlers of Poplar Springs in Gumlog pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court Friday to Voluntary Manslaughter and a lesser charge of murder, according to District Attorney Parks White.

White tells WLHR News 31-year old William “Billy” Lamar Whitworth of Trout Drive in Gumlog was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

White said Whitworth will have to serve 18 years of the sentence before being eligible for parole.

On Saturday, April 12, 2019, Franklin County EMS and Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home of Michael John Ehlers on Poplar Springs Road and found a white male in his 50’s who had been shot in the face.

The victim was later identified as Ehlers.

Sheriff’s investigators, along with agents from the Athens office of the GBI continued to conduct interviews and the following Tuesday arrested Whitworth.

White said Friday the investigation revealed Ehlers and Whitworth were taking turns firing a faulty .22 caliber handgun in Ehler’s yard when it accidentally discharged.

“He (Whitworth) is a felon. They were drinking and they were firing a malfunctioning .22 and while they were out shooting this malfunctioning .22 Whitworth pulled the trigger and it did not discharge. And he (Whitworth) continued to pull the trigger again and again and was not paying attention to where it was pointing and he pointed it in the direction of Ehler who was reacting to the firearm being pointed at him and it discharged and shot him (Ehler) in the face. It was an accidental shooting but ‘accidental’ isn’t available as a defense when you’re a convicted felon in possession of a firearm,” White explained.

Ehlers was airlifted to Greenville Hospital where he underwent surgery, but he died the next day from a single gunshot wound.

Whitworth was later indicted by a Franklin County Grand Jury on charges of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession Of A Firearm By a Convicted Felon.

White thanked the Franklin County Sheriff’s investigators and the agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their hard work in bringing the case to a successful conclusion.